Pregnancy and Prescription Drugs

When women are expecting, they want to know that the medications they need to take for epilepsy, migraines and mood disorder won’t do any harm. Are these drugs safe to take during pregnancy?

In a new study from the journal of the American medical association, researchers investigated an important question: Are newer anti-epilepsy drugs safe to take during pregnancy? These medications are also commonly prescribed for migraine headaches and bipolar disorder.

Older drugs for epilepsy have been linked to a higher risk of birth defects, but, taking a group of newer drugs during the first trimester was not related to a higher risk of major birth defects. Though this study offers some reassurance about the safety of these drugs, women using medications for these conditions should still talk to their doctor about the best approach to take during their own pregnancy.